Automatic circuit-opener



(No Model.) 1 V J. P. TIRRELL.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT OPENER.

N0. 874,017. Patented Nov. 29, 1887.

Q J I inn/19706077 766605 1 Tirre/ZZ,

UNITED STATES JACOB P. TIRRELL, OF SOMERVILLE,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT=OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 374,017, dated November 29, 1887.

Application filed January 31, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB P. TIRRELL, of Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Oircuit-Openers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. I

My invention relates to an automatic circuit-opener intended tobe used in circuits of the kind commonly employed for gas-lighting, which in their normal operation are only closed momentarily for the purpose of pro- 1 ducing a spark and thus lighting the gas. In such systems, when the circuit becomes ac'ci'- dentally closed for a considerable period of time, through the crossing of wires or imperfeet insulation, the battery is soon exhausted, so that it will no longer operate.

It is customary in applying gas-lighting apparatus to buildings to group portions of the burners in different circuits, all of which branch from a single battery, and one object of the present invention is to provide an instrument by which when any one of the circuits becomes closed or grounded that one circuit will be automatically opened before the battery has time to become exhausted, but all the other circuits will be left in normal working condition, so that the main part of the apparatus can be used before the circuits are inspected and the imperfect one repaired. The instrument also operates as an indicator to show which circuit has become deranged.

The circuit-opening instrument forming the subject of the present invention comprises an electro-magnet and normally-closed circuitbreaker in each circuit, one member of which circuit-breaker is affected and moved by the magnet, which cannot, however, of itself open the circuit; and the instrument also comprises a clock-work or motor having a detent controlled by each of the magnets, so that it is released whenever any one of the magnets is energized, and the said motor controls the other member of the different circuit-breakers in such manner that, if the motor remains in operation for a predetermined period of time 0- longer than that required for closing the circuit to light the gas, it will move the member Serial No. 225,960. (No model.)

of the circuit-breaker far enough to open that particular circuit-breaker the other member of which is controlled by the magnet that is energized.

The invention also consists in various details of construction, hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l is a front elevation of a circuitbreakinginstrument embodying this inven tion; Fig. 2, a vertical section thereof on line m, Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4, sectional details to be referred to.

The battery and spark-coilsuch as commonly used in gas-lighting apparatus-1nay be connected with the metallic frame a a of the instrument, as indicated, by the wire 2, and thence the circuit is continued to the clock-controlled member I) (see Fig. 2) of the various circuit-breakers, which member consists of a contact-bar, upon which rests a series of springs, c 0, (see Fig. 2,) connected with armaturelevers c of a series of electro magnets, d, corresponding with the number of circuits to be controlled. The armature of each magnet is connected with one terminal 7 5 of the same magnet, as indicated at 3, Fig. 1, and the other terminal of the said magnet is connected, as at 4, with the circuit leading to the different burners or points where the mo mentary current is to do its work. Thus as long as the spring, 0, corresponding to any magnet remains on the bar 6 the circuit is complete to the burner, and may be closed at the burner or at any other desired point in the usual manner, for the purpose of producing a spark and lighting the gas. Vhen the circuit is thus closed, either for lighting the gas or for any other purpose, the corresponding magnet, d, is energized, its armature attracted, and the spring 0 caused to move on the bar b, 0 but not far enough to draw its end off the bar, although the spring of any magnet which is energized will rest on the bar at a point nearer its end than the spring of the magnets which are not energized, and consequently a move 5 ment of the bar 7) toward the ends of all the springs c (that is, in the left-l1and direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2) will carry the bar out from beneath the spring the magnet of which is energized before it will carry it from beneath the spring of the magnets which are not energized. The bar I) is caused to move slowly in the direction toward the ends of the springs, whenever any one of the magnets is energized, by a clock-work or motor, c, which may be of any usual construction and actuated by a mainspring, e, in the usual manner, the said spring driving a speedincreasing train of wheel-work terminating in a governor, (shown as a fan, 0 by which the speed of movement of the said train is regulated. The operation of the said motor is controlled by a detent, a", connected with a lever, a, (see Fig. 3,) tixed on a shaft, 0", connected with a bar, 0, that extends along in contact with the armaturelevers c of the lower magnets, d, (see Fig. 1,) the said bar a being composed of insulating material, so as not to con nect electrically with the said armatures.

In order to economize space, the magnets d are arranged part above and part below the member I) of the circuit-breakers, which is thus arranged to co-operate with the springs 0 above and 0 below, and the arinatures of the upper magnets cooperate with a bar, e on a shaft, e provided with a lever, c (see Fig. 3,) that is forked at its end and engaged with a pin,f, entering a corresponding fork or notch in the end of the lever 0', so that a movement of the bar c produced by the armature of any one of the upper magnets has the same effect on the detent c as the movement of the bar 0 produced by one of the lower magnets-that is, it discngages said detent and releases the motor.

Oneofthe slow-moving shafts, y,ofthe motor has an extension, connected to rotate with the said shaft 9, but with a suiliciently loose connection to permit a slight angular movement of the part 9 with relation to the part g. The said party is provided with a toothed wheel, h, (see Fig. 3,) and the end of the shaft 9 has its bearing in aslide-bar, h, that carries the pinf, that enters the notchin the ends of the levers c and 0"". The otherend of the bar It is forked and engagcsashaft, i, thatextends along the back of the circuit-breaker barb, as shown in Fig. 2.

The movement of the pinf, produced by either of the levers c e when the corresponding bars, e or c, are moved by the armature of any one of the magnets (7, moves the toothed wheel 71- toward and into engagement with a toothed segment, i, on the shaft '5, so that when any one of the magnets is energized it causes the motor to be released and the wheel h, actuated by the said motor, to engage the segment i, and thus rotate the shaft z' as long as the magnet remains energized.

The bar I), forming one member of the circuit-breakers, is connected at its ends with end pieces, I), (see Figs. 2 and 4, the latter beinga partial plan view of this part,) and is connected also by a rod, 6*, the 'whole forming a rigid frame which is capable of having a sliding movement in the stationary frame-pieces a a, the end pieces, I), being notched where they engage the shaft i, as seen in Fig. 2, and the said frame is pressed toward the rearwardthat is, toward theleft handin Fig. 2by a spring, I). g

The bar b rests against cams or eccentrics t" on the shaft i,which is normally held with the greatest throw of the eccentrics toward thebar b, as shown in Fig. 2, being at once moved to this position by the action of a spring, 1', on the segment '6 whenever the latter is disengaged from the wheel h, which is the normal condition. \Vhen, however, the wheel h and segment i are engaged and the shaft 1' rotated, the movement of the eccentrics i one near either end of the said shaft, will permit the frame I) Z) Z) to be moved backward by the spring b, and at the end of a predetermined period of time-usually about half a minute it will have moved far enough to carry the bar 1) beyond the end ofthe particular spring, 0 or c, the magnet of which is then energized, permitting the said spring to drop, as shown at c", Fig. 2. The dropping of the spring will at once break the circuit between it and the bar I) of the magnet that has been energized for the abnormal period of time, and the said armature returning to its normal position will cause or permit the detent to stop the motor, and will also cause the disengagement of the wheel h and segment i, so that the latter will be immediately restored by the spring 1'' to its normal position, thus causing the frame I) b b to return to its normal position, so that it will require the same period of time to again elapse after any one of the magnets is energized before the circuit of the said magnet will be broken. The shafti and connected devices thus constitute a spring-actuated con trolling device for governing the position of the circuit-breaker member I), the said device being actuated against the force of the spring by the motor. The movement of the frame can never be sufficient to disengage the bar I) from the spring, 0 or c, of any magnet which is not energized while the said movement is taking place, so that none of the circuits will be affected except the one that has been closed for an abnormal period of time.

A plate, 12, pivoted on a shaft, 11, operating in the end pieces, I), and having a handle, 11 can be used to restore the spring 0 that has operated to break the circuit, into its normal position, resting on the end of the bar b, the said plate being normally held by a spring, 1)", in an intermediate position between the springs e and 0, so that they will not comein contact with the said plate when they drop.

It will be seen that the dropping of any one of the springs indicates which circuit is deranged.

I claim-- 1. The combination of a number of magnets in different branch circuits and a circuit breaker in each of said circuits, one member ,of which circuit-breaker is controlled by the armature of the magnet in the same circuit, and the other member of which circuit-breakers is common to all the said circuits, being connected with the main circuit,of which they are branches, and a motor the operation of which is controlled 'by each of the said magnets, which motor moves the member common to all.the circuit-breakers and at the end of a predetermined period of time breaksthe circuit containing any magnet that remains energized during the said period of time, sub stantially as described.

2. The combination of a movable conducting strip or bar, and motorfor moving the same, with a series of electro-magnets and contact springs connected with the armatures thereof, normally resting on said bar near their ends, the movement of said springs produced by the attraction of the magnet bringing the ends of the springs nearer the bar, but being insufficient to move the springs oil thebar, combined with a motor for moving said bar toward the ends of the springs and a detent for said motor, by which the latter is released andremains in operation as long as any one of said magnets is energized, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a conducting-bar and number of magnets and armatures therefor and the contact-springs carried by said armatures resting onsaid bar, a spring-actuated device controlling the position of the said bar, and the motor normally disengaged from said device, and a detent for said motor, and mech anism actuated by the armatures of the said magnets,whereby the motor is released and engaged with the bar'actuating device during said bar and two sets of electro-magnets cooperating with said springs, and each controlling the operation of the said motor, and arestoring device located between the two sets of springs for replacing a contact spring of either set on the said bar after it has been disengaged therefrom by the movement of the bar, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a series of contactsprings and a conductingbar co-operating' therewith, and a shaft controlling the position of the said bar, with a motor having an actuating wheel normally disengaged from said controllingshaft, a detent for said motor, and a series of electro magnets and armatures therefor cooperating with the said contactsprings, and each controlling the said detent and the engagement of the motor with the controlling-shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB P. TIRRELL.

Vitnesses:

J 0s. 1?. LIvERMoRE, J AS. J. MALONEY. 

